The Garden City Telegram
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Benincasa to open Monday
Published 12/11/2009 in History Page
By DOLORES HOPE
Staff Writer
The woman who welcomes guests at Benincasa won't be a stranger.
Wanda Luna is a third-generation southwest Kansan. Her grandfather homesteaded in Grant County in 1908 and her father, the late Cliff Moyer, staked his claim on the country's last homestead, on which she was born.
Benincasa, 809 N. 6th, is St. Catherine Hospital's home-away-from-home for families of patients who live outside the Garden City and Holcomb area. It will open Monday for its first guests.
"The ad for a house coordinator at Benincasa just popped out at me," said Luna, an attractive woman of sixty some. "I thought it would be something I could do and enjoy doing."
Luna moved into a new basement apartment at the large, old, refurbished home last week, bringing some furniture from the Grant County homestead and treating herself to some new furnishings.
The mother of five grown children has 17 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She feels well-prepared for her new position. One of her children is a physician in Bucklin and two are nurses.
... In the past, out-of-town families have had several options, said Carla Boultinghouse, St. Catherine's volunteer services coordinator.
They could drive home and back every day; stay in the hospital room with the patient; stay in hospital-owned houses, when they weren't occupied by interns; or be referred to area motels. Motel managers have been very accommodating, Boultinghouse said, and some families will choose to make their own lodging arrangement.
Benincasa, she said, will be such an improvement for many families in that it is near the hospital and there is no charge. However, donations may be made. A $10 key deposit is refunded. The hospital's nursing coordinator and social service workers will refer families to Benincasa and volunteers will help Luna, the resident coordinator, staff the house seven days a week.
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